Mary Anne's Diabetes
by Elizabeth8289
Summary: Lately, Mary Anne was feeling thirsty all day in school and at the studios. Both her teacher and Jennifer got worried. When she got a headache, Cam was concerned, too. When Mary Anne got the news that changed her life, she was shocked. Will she make it through with the support from her family and friends? Find out later!
1. Mary Anne Gets Type I Diabetes

The Baby-Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin.

*note- This story is dedicated to my family and friends who are diabetics, so don't think I'm adding diabetes because of Stacey*

I was at the studios where I go to with Cam Geary five days a week from three to five pm. I was waiting for my turn to record my tracks.

"Excuse me, I'm just going to get a drink of water," I said.

"Again?" asked our manager, Jennifer Vega.

"I'm just thirsty, that's all," I said. "I was like that at school, too."

I went to get a bottle of water. In fact, it was my second one today since I got there.

I'm Mary Anne Spier and I'm 15 years old. I attend Stoneybrook High School for tenth grade. I was drinking water all day during the school day and my teachers didn't like that too much- especially during class. The English teacher was the only one who was letting me doing that. She was quite concerned about me when she noticed I left the class three times at the end of the school day. She alerted the other teachers in case I do it again tomorrow.

When Jennifer realized I did that three to four times, she said I could take a break from the studios for today just in case I get like that when I record songs.

"I can try recording. May I bring the bottle of water in case I get like that after I sing?" I asked.

"Sure, just be careful not to spill anything," replied Jennifer.

Somehow, I did just fine. I did got thirsty and drank more water in between before I start each track.

"I'm surprised you let her to do her tracks when she's like that," said Cam.

"She didn't want to take a break," said Jennifer. "I gave her permission to bring the bottle of water inside as long as she's careful not to spill on anything."

"I'm getting concerned about that," said Cam.

"I am, too," said Jennifer.

After I did my track, Jennifer said, "Why don't we finish your tracks another time?"

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea," I agreed.

At dinner, I didn't want anything at all because I was getting a headache.

"Are you okay? Don't you want anything to eat?" asked Cam.

"I'm getting a headache," I replied.

"Oh," said Cam.

It went away when I ate a sandwich. At home, I was on the couch when Dad and Sharon came home from work. Meredith told Dad about what was happening at school.

"I know. Her English teacher called to tell me. I wonder how she made it out at the studios," said Dad.

"I'm not sure. She's in the living room," said Meredith.

"Cam told me that she kept getting a few bottles of water. He and Jennifer are getting concerned about Mary Anne. That didn't let it stop her from recording her tracks though, but Jennifer suggested she can finish her solo parts another time," said Dawn. "And, she developed a headache afterwards."

"I'll go see her," said Dad as he came in and noticed I was asleep. "She must be tired."

"You should call her doctor to tell him about this," said Sharon.

"I did and he said she can go see him tomorrow before school," said Dad. "I have a meeting, so she can go on her own."

"Okay," said Sharon.

Later, I was starting to get a headache again. Dad already told me I was going to see Dr. Wellington tomorrow before going to school. Oh, good. I was told I was going alone since he's got a meeting.

The next day, I went to see Dr. Wellington.

"Your father was telling me you kept getting water during school," said Dr. Wellington.

"Yes, I was still like that at the studios," I said. "I also got a headache. I'm also tired. I fell asleep yesterday at home when I came back from the studios."

"Do you mind if I check your blood sugar?" asked Dr. Wellington.

"Sure," I replied getting worried on what he was going to say.

Sure enough, when he told me I got diabetes, I was shocked and started crying.

"How could I have diabetes? I'm not overweight," I said.

"That's Type 2 Diabetes, your type is different. Being tired, thirsty, and a headache are the signs of diabetes. Your blood sugar was over 200 mg/dl," said Dr. Wellington.

That got me terrified. He gave me a prescription of insulin. I was going to use Analog. He gave me advice how to handle my diabetes. That made me feel comfortable.

I ordered it before I left. I was glad I found out what was wrong with me. I picked up everything I needed. At school, I was scared and nervous. At lunch, I told the lunchlady about my diabetes. She was cool about it. She has diabetes, too. I didn't tell my friends anything about my diabetes. I decided to tell them during the meeting today.

After school, I was told Cam caught a cold late last night and there would be no studios until his cold goes away. At home, I was in my room doing homework when Dad, who got out of the meeting early, knocked on my door as he came in. Dawn was baby-sitting until five.

"How did it go at the doctor's. Did you found out what the problem was?" asked Dad.

I nodded and said, "I was told I have diabetes. I was shocked. My blood sugar was over 200 mg/dl."

"Oh," said Dad squeezing my shoulder.

"I'm nervous about this," I said.

"I promise you'd do just fine," said Dad. "I'll be happy to help if you need me."

"Okay, great, thanks," I said.

Thank goodness for that.

"Luckily, the doctor gave me advice how to handle my diabetes so I can be more comfortable to have it," I said.

"That's a good thing," said Dad.

"I didn't tell anyone yet, I was planning to do so at the meeting so all the girls can be involved so they'd know what's going on if something goes wrong," I said.


	2. Mary Anne Tells Her Friends the News

At the meeting, I was nervous about what to say.

"Who wants candy?" asked Claudia.

"Me!" exclaimed the others except me, Stacey, and Dawn, who was having carrots.

When candy got passed down to me, I said, "No thanks. I don't want any today."

"Are you sure?" asked Mallory.

"Yes. As matter as fact, I'm not allowed to have it anymore," I said.

"Really? Why?' asked Kristy.

"Remember when I kept getting up for water?" I asked.

"Yes, I do," replied Kristy.

"Well, I was still like that at the studios. On top of that, I had a headache. Plus, I got tired at home. I went to see a doctor's before I came to school and found out I have diabetes," I said. "My blood sugar was over 200 mg/dl when he checked it."

"Wow, that's a shock," said Claudia.

"I was so scared about that, but the doctor gave me advice to help me make comfortable with diabetes," I said.

"That's good," said Stacey.

"I know," I agreed. "The lunchlady was nice about it since she's diabetic herself."

"I can help you out if you need it. I can give you tips to stay healthy without having any issues in the future," said Stacey.

"Sure, I don't mind," I said.

"We can support you, too, in case something goes wrong when we hang out," said Kristy.

"Okay, great," I said with a grin.

I'm glad Stacey can help me out and I'm even more happy about my friends helping me out. Claudia took crackers and gave them to me.

"I'll make sure I have extra healthy stuff for you as well," said Claudia.

"Thanks," I said.


	3. Mary Anne's High Blood Sugar

That evening, Sharon made ham with honey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and carrots. I knew I can't have ham with honey, so I got up and made a tuna sandwich which I can have. I had it along with mashed potatoes & gravy and carrots. Dad knew that I was smart enough to stay away from the honeyed ham.

After dinner, I was taking insulin after checking it. That's not hard to do. The next day, I was getting dressed and checked my blood sugar. I came down slowly because I was getting nauseous.

I was having oatmeal with apples and orange juice. I was taking my time because I was afraid to get sick.

"You're going to be late," said my stepmom.

"I'm taking my time. I'm feeling nauseous at the moment," I told her.

After that, I had water to get rid of the feeling.

"Are you going to be okay for school?" asked Dad.

"I'll be alright," I replied.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel sick at school," said Dad.

At school, I felt fine until Science when I started to feel nauseous. But I went to the bubblier and felt okay after that- thank goodness. After school, I was told Cam still had a cold. Plus, Jennifer is on vacation. She started it today, which we already knew about. At home, I was doing my homework. I took a break while I was starting to feel nauseous again. I hate it when that happens. I almost threw up as I covered my mouth and rushed to the bathroom- just in time- and started vomiting.

Dad, who was home from work early, came by when he spotted me and said, "Are you alright, sweetie?"

I didn't notice him there while he came in to be with me. After that he said, "Did you made it okay at school?"

"I felt fine and even though I felt to get the nausea feeling during Science, I went to get water to get rid of it," I said.

I finished homework with no issues. But after that, I was feeling sweaty. I was on my bed when Dad came in.

"How are you doing?" asked Dad.

"I feel sweaty," I answered.

He felt my head and said, "You're burning up."

That night, my blood sugar was high. I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich with apple juice. I felt better, but my blood sugar remained high even though it went down a bit. Plus, I felt jittery.

"Didn't you notice your insulin turning brown?" asked Sharon who apparently checked it.

"No, it wasn't turning brown at the time," I replied. "It must have happened while taking it."

"Then, notice next time," said Sharon.

"I didn't know. This would be my first time with insulin turning brown," I said.

I told Dad about it and he knew it had nothing to do with the insulin turning brown.

"My blood sugar is still high," I said.

"You can get something after we change your insulin," said Dad.

"Sounds good," I said.

After we changed the insulin, we went to Wendy's. I had a hamburger with ketchup, mustard, mayo, and light lettace- I had just to use insulin for that. I also had water. I felt better after that.

"Thanks, I feel better now," I siad.

"Good," smiled Dad.


	4. Mary Anne Vs Sharon

In the middle of the night, I was getting a minor headache. Sure enough, when I checked my blood sugar, it was high at 190 mg/dl.

I got up and headed downstairs to the kitchen to get orange juice. I drink it from the bottle, it's from a small package I got for diabetics. Dad probably spotted me because he came down.

"Is everything okay?" asked Dad.

"My blood sugar was high, that's all, so I'm having orange juice," I replied.

"Okay," said Dad.

"Should I keep a bottle of water in case that happens overnight anytime?" I asked.

"That's a good idea for you to do," agreed Dad.

After that, I felt better. Good. I checked my insulin before I used it. Then, I went back to bed after I brought up a bottle of water with me. I decided to bring up a bottle of orange juice as well. I had six bottles of orange juice that was from a pack.

The next day, I was about to check my blood sugar when I noticed Sharon was watching over me.

"You don't need to watch over me," I said.

"Oh, yes you do," said Sharon.

"No, I need to focus on this by being alone," I said as I went out from my room.

I was in the bathroom locking the door. There, that's better. When I checked it, it was low. Luckily, it was breakfast time. I came out and went downstairs. Dad was making pancakes with sausage and toast. I can have all of them. I just can't have maple syrup- even if it's sugar-free, it's still too sweet for me. After I had breakfast, I checked my blood sugar and it went back to normal, thankfully. Even though Sharon watched over me, I decided to ignore her so I can check my insulin and used it since it was clear enough. That worked for me better. I just pretended she wasn't there. She was making me nervous in case she doesn't know.

I was all set for school and took off. At school, I was at lunch when I noticed Sharon was there! Glad I already checked my blood sugar at the time. It was normal.

"Um, how come Sharon's here?" asked Stacey.

"Is she helping with the lunchlady?" asked Kristy.

"She must be," I replied. "I'm planning to get salad anyway, so pretend that I'm not here."

I went off to the salad bar and got lettace with cucumbers, tomato, and italian dressing. I can have any dressing according to the diabetic guide that I have with me in case I need it. I took off to sit far away as possible so that Sharon won't see me. I'll pretend not to know her. This is very embarrassing. I didn't want her there. What if the kids tease me? My other friends saw me and joined me.

"I'm just sitting in a distance where Sharon won't see where I am," I said.

"Good thinking, she asked us where you were, I said I have no clue," said Kristy.

"Good move," I said.

Later, at the studios, I was getting ready to record more songs: we didn't finish it the day before since I kept drinking too much water and Cam was sick yesterday. I had five more songs to go. I already had a drink since my blood sugar was high.

After I completed the tracks, the CD was done. That was when I spotted Sharon was there. Oh, brother. I'm glad I didn't notice until now so I can focus.

"Where have you been at lunch?" asked Sharon.

"I ate early," I replied. 'Then, I had to study for today's test."

This was a huge lie because I didn't want her to know I was at lunch the whole time.

"We have to get going now," said Cam.

"To where?" asked Sharon.

"None of your business," I said.

"That's right," agreed Cam as we left there in a hurry.

When we got to Stamford Fan Zone, we sat on the other side where Sharon won't find us to sit with us. The limo had already left at the time after we told Mr. Hall to drive off.

"Since when she's so overprotective of you about diabetes?" asked Cam.

"I know. I did nothing wrong to cause that," I replied.

Then, it donged on me. She was like that after she noticed my insulin was brown and I didn't notice that. Can't she see I didn't know I wasn't supposed to use it when it's brown? That would be my first time. But Dad did say being jittery had nothing to do with insulin turning brown. At least he didn't become overprotective like Sharon did. He knew it was my first time not to realize that. I didn't think insulin that is brown can cause being jittery.

"And, if she keeps being at your school and the studios instead of her job, she could put that in jeopardy," said Cam.

"I agree with you," I said.

Later, at home, I was in my room doing homework.

"Why did you had to be rude to my mother for?" asked Dawn.

"Would you be tired of her being with you if you were diabetic? She didn't know where Cam and I would go because she could bug me. She was at the studios, too. I noticed her after I finished my tracks. It was a good thing I didn't notice at first otherwise I won't able to concentrate," I said. "Cam says she could put her job in jeopardy if she keeps doing that and being at my school. I wasn't rude to begin with."

"Yes, you were," said Sharon.

"Just leave me alone. What did I ever do to cause that? Nothing. I'm sick and tired of it. I don't want you to put stress on me. That's not good for diabetics. That can raise their blood sugar," I pointed out. "Now excuse me."

"Where are you going?" asked Sharon.

"Away from you," I replied getting my homework as I headed out.

I was in the den with the door locked so I can do homework peacefully. That's better. If Dawn would keep her mouth closed, this wouldn't happen at all. Sharon must have told her. Was Dawn taking her mother's side or something? If it is, this could cause a war and I don't want that to happen- period.


	5. The Family Meeting

Later, I was not talking to Sharon when she was trying to talking to me. When Dad came home from work, I was glad about that. I think he got concerned on what was happening. Dad came and knocked on my door as he came in to be with me.

"Hi, hon," said Dad.

"Hi," I said.

"How did everything go?" asked Dad as he sat on the bed with me.

"I was at school when I noticed Sharon was in the lunchroom," I replied.

"What was she doing there?" asked Dad.

"She was probably helping other lunchpeople out, but I figured out why: to make sure I'm doing everything right like avoiding stuff that can put me in a coma. I'm not stupid to do that. I sat far away where she wouldn't see me because it would be embarrassing and I didn't want any kids to tease me," I said.

"I know," said Dad. "I don't blame you for that."

"Then, later on at the studios, she was there. I had just finished the tracks that we didn't get to complete the day I was drinking a lot of water when I noticed her. Glad I didn't notice her until the end because I needed to focus," I said.

"She was at both places instead of being at work?" asked Dad.

"Yes," I replied. "Cam says that could put her job in jeopardy."

"I agree with him," said Dad.

"When we were leaving, she asked us where would we were going. I didn't want her to be with us, so I just told her to mind her business," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Dad.

"She must have thought I was rude because she told Dawn all about it," I said. "I told her would she be tired of being guarded if she was diabetic?"

"That's right," said Dad.

"I do realize why she's like that. Remember when insulin was brown? She got mad at me for not noticing that. How am I supposed to know if I can't use it if it turns brown? I'm glad I told you so we can change it," I said. "Why can't she realize I didn't know that?"

"I know," said Dad.

"At least you didn't mad at me for that," I said.

"That's true," said Dad.

Dad went to Sharon, who must have heard us, and said, "You don't need to be with a fifteen-year-old at her school or at the studios. People makes mistakes. She just didn't know she wasn't supposed to use her insulin when it's brown, which is okay. Most diabetics might be like that when it's a new thing for them."

"Yes," said Sharon.

"No, and you don't need to watch over her either when she does everything. She needs to focus to do something," said Dad. "Be supportive instead. You could've told her that's okay to make mistakes."

I guess that made Sharon realized Dad was right mistakes happen because she talked to me amd decided to trust me again. Good. I was hoping for that.


	6. The Questions

The next day, I was having cereal for breakfast. I can eat certain kinds of cereal according to my pamplet. That helps me what I should avoid. I added bananas. Fruits are good for you, but they can raise your blood sugar. So, I decided to take insulin before I added bananas to avoid getting high blood sugar. That was a smart thing to do. Dad thinks so, too.

I think Stacey does the same before she eats any fruit. I'll have to ask her when I call or see her. I'd be seeing her at school anyway. At school, I talked to Stacey and she told me she does take insulin before having fruit.

"Oh, good. I did the same thing this morning," I said.

"That was a smart thing to do to avoid high blood sugar," said Stacey.

"I know. Dad thought so, too," I added.

Kristy didn't know why I was talking to Stacey instead of Kristy. I went to her.

"I was just asking Stacey a question about something. I understand I can talk to your cousin, Robin, but I rather talk to a friend who is a diabetic, too, so I would know what to do if I get stuck on something that I never did before," I said. "Diabetes is new experiance to me. Besides, I don't know Robin very well."

At least Kristy understood why about that part.

"I guess that would be easier for you," said Kristy. "You can ask me anything, too since Robin has it as well."

"That's true I could do it that way, too," I said. "It doesn't matter who I ask if I don't know anything. I'll ask you whenever I see you and I can ask Stacey whenever I see her. How does that sound?"

"It's a deal," said Kristy.

I'm glad she felt better about that so she won't feel left out. At lunch, I was feeling weak. Now what? I bet it had something to do with diabetes. Sure enough, that's what it was. My blood sugar was too low. But I felt better after I had a tuna sandwich and salad with water. My blood sugar went back to normal after that- thankfully.

"I didn't think weak was a sign of a low blood sugar," I said.

"Sometimes it can make you weak," said Stacey.

"Do you ever feel weak like that?" I asked.

"It happened to me twice, but I feel better after I have something like you did," replied Stacey.

"Oh, I was just wondering," I said.

"That's okay," said Stacey.

"I wonder if it happened to Robin," I said.

"Once or twice," said Kristy.

"This would be my first time to feel weak," I said.

After school, at the studios, I was feeling shaky all of sudden. Don't tell me that might be a sign of a high blood sugar. I checked it and it was high. So, I drank some orange juice and I felt better after that. Cam was recording his tracks anyway, so it was a good thing I was doing it while I was waiting for my turn. I checked the insulin and took it.

How can being shaky be a high blood sugar? I don't think I ever seen Stacey feel shaky when her blood sugar is high. This looks new to me, too. I texted her to ask her that. She replied me saying that can be a sign of a high or low blood sugar. I could get in a coma if it's high and if it's low, it can be insulin shock. I told her I already kept it under control by drinking orange and it went back to normal. She told me it was a good thing. That can be serious if I didn't handle that right away. But that never happened to her before. She was told by a doctor when she first had diabetes.

When it was time for me, I shut my phone off. After that was completed, Cam, Jennifer, and I had a meeting saying there will be two concerts: one in Maine and one in Vermont on a weekend. They're both for one night only. This would be my first time away from home with diabetes, but I think I can manage that just fine. They're both at seven, so I hope we can dinner early in case my blood sugar gets out of control.

Later, after the studios, I was at Claudia's. I went to Stacey who came in the same time as me.

"At least I would know when I get that feeling," I told Stacey.

"I know," agreed Stacey.

"I'm glad I can ask you that because I'm not sure Kristy would know," I said.

I was right about that, but Robin explained to Kristy about that one time.

"I would like to meet Robin someday," I said.

"That's a good idea," said Kristy. "She won't mind. I told her about your diabetes and she said it was good to ask me anything."

"Good," I said with a grin.


End file.
